The Doctor's Heart
by The Dark Knight's Revenge
Summary: "You can't die... You have two hearts. Why doesn't your second heart save you?" Rose sobbed. "Because it belongs to you" The Doctor replied. When the Doctor dies, he leaves Rose something very special that changes her fate forever.


Rose panted under the Doctor's weight, half-dragging him down the street to where they had parked the TARDIS. Her hands were soaked in the Doctor's blood, and the crimson liquid was dripping down to the pavement below.

Shot.

How on EARTH could she have let him get shot? Why weren't time-lords bulletproof? He was going to be okay, right? She didn't have any experience with this.

"Almost there, Doctor" She said, pausing to wipe the sweat off his brow. First thing when the doctor healed, she would start working out more. Might keep her out of trouble...

The Doctor moaned, his breath beginning to come in ragged gasps. Rose tried to move faster. A cold rain began to come down, soaking both the time lord and companion in a matter of seconds.

Rose felt tears of frustration welling in her eyes as the last block to the TARDIS seemed to stretch before her eyes. She had to get the wounded Doctor inside soon, before he caught a chill.

The doctor coughed roughly, and Rose knew that a chill was the least of her worries.

Finally, they made it to the TARDIS' door, and Rose practically used the Doctor's dead weight as a battering ram. Once inside, the Doctor collapsed to the floor like a broken doll.

Rose leaned heavily against the doorway, ghostly pale as the doctor's wound became visible in the light.

"Oh...oh..." She stuttered. The bullet hole was much, much worse than she thought.

"Rose..." The Doctor rasped.

Tentatively, Rose knelt by the Doctor's side, automatically pressing her hands to the hole in his chest. The doctor's hand came to rest on her leg.

"Dear Rose" He said, smiling a little. Rose sniffled.

"Please Doctor, don't say you're dying..." She mumbled tearfully. The doctor reached up to touch her face.

"I am, though. Denying it won't help" He said, wiping at the flow of her tears with his thumb. As the words came out, the lights in the TARDIS dimmed, the computer making a sad whirring sound.

"NO!" Rose protested. "You're the doctor, you have a sonic screwdriver, and a-a TARDIS, a-and two hearts!"

Rose paused to let out a choked sob, pushing her hands tighter against the Doctor's wound.

"Shhh..." The doctor said softly, stroking her cheek.

"Why doesn't your second heart save you?" Rose asked, more tears leaking down her cheeks.

"Because it belongs to you" The doctor replied simply. Rose stared into his eyes, realizing in that moment just how much the doctor really cared for her. All the times he had yelled or hurt her feelings... He had done it because he loved her, and wanted to keep her safe.

"I'm so sorry!" Rose sobbed into his chest. The doctor's good arm went weakly around her.

"It's all right, love..." The Doctor looked as if he wanted to say more, but a racking cough cut him off. For a moment, it looked at Rose as if he would never stop coughing for breath, but then his face took on a deathly pallor, and he lay back.

"Doctor..." Rose said, holding tight to the lapel of his jacket.

"In my room, top drawer, black box" The Doctor replied quietly, gasping for breath. Rose got up immediately, running for the door to his room. Her hand left a bloody smear on the control panel, but at that moment she really didn't care.

Contrary to what she had believed about the Doctor's room, it was impeccably clean. She had picture it as a dark jungle-like lair full of odd bits and baubles he had collected. As it was, the only piece of furniture aside from the bed was a small chest of drawers, leaving the rest of the room totally bare.

Rose sprinted to the chest of drawers, yanking open the top one. Its only contents were a medium sized black box. She grabbed it and went back to the doctor.

* * *

While Rose was gone, the Doctor replayed his incredibly long life at top speed as he looked out the still open door of the TARDIS at the pouring rain. It was actually quite astounding the random amount of things he had done.

The TARDIS made an unhappy sound, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Don't worry old girl, We had our run" The Doctor used his working hand to rub the floor of the TARDIS affectionately. She whirred in reply.

"No, love. This is one adventure I have to go at alone" He said, tears pricking his eyes.

Rose's footsteps sounded at the doorway, and the Doctor cleared his throat, eyes growing heavier by the second.

"Here Doctor, I have your box" Rose said, kneeling at his side once more.

"Open it" The Doctor said. Rose followed his instructions and opened the box's lid, holding up the odd machine inside of it. The TARDIS made a curious sound.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"Press it to my heart after I die, promise me you will" The Doctor replied. Rose nodded and pulled out the other item in the box. It was an even smaller black velvet box.

"Open that too"

Rose complied, her eyes widening when she saw the contents.

"I-I don't understand" She said.

"Marry me" The Doctor whispered, staring at her with his piercing blue eyes. Rose stared right back, tears welling in her own blue orbs.

"Marry me..." The Doctor pleaded when Rose stayed silent. This snapped the girl into action, and she slipped the ring onto her finger.

"I do" The Doctor said, sighing.

"I do" Rose sobbed before falling into his chest again. This time his arm was too weak to lift. His vision began to go black at the corners.

"I should have done this long ago" The Doctor whispered before accepting the darkness.

"I love you..." Rose sobbed. When there came no reply, she looked up at the Doctor. She found her reply in his sightless blue eyes. They said it all.

The TARDIS wailed mournfully, the lights inside dimming to near darkness. Thunder boomed outside the open door. Rose looked out at the pouring rain slamming into the pavement, tears silently sliding down her cheeks.

He was gone. The Doctor was really gone... What on Earth would she do now? She was stuck in another century on another planet in another galaxy, and the TARDIS was physically unable to be controlled by anyone who wasn't a Time-lord. Rose got up and slammed the door angrily.

She leaned her face against the cool metal inside of the door, unable to stem the emotions running through her mind.

Suddenly, a new sound distracted her. Looking around, Rose saw that the machine the Doctor had given her had begun to vibrate, giving off a faint light in the darkness of the TARDIS. At once, she remembered the Doctor's odd request.

Gently peeling back his blood-soaked shirt, Rose poked at his chest, trying to guess where one of his hearts might be. When there was no obvious clue, Rose put the machine in the middle of his chest.

At first, nothing happened. Then an explosion of light and sound threw Rose back into the wall of the TARDIS, leaving her unconscious.


End file.
